Testing
Run some checks and give your workflow a test before enabling!
Testing in MESA is an important final check of your automation setup. It allows you to see how your workflow will behave before going live.
You can (and should) test your workflow steps to confirm each one is working properly as you build. Testing on a per-step basis doesn't impact the rest of the workflow and provides clarity on the order of operations as you go.
When you complete your workflow, you can test it from beginning to end as a final sanity check.
With access to live, example, or custom data, MESA allows you to test with real results directly in the builder.
Test When No Data is Available
Sometimes, you will not have any data available for the trigger you're using. If that's the case, you'll see the following message in the Test submenu of an open trigger:
"No records are available. Create a test record in the service you are trying to test or double-check that you're connected to the correct account."
When you see this message, you will want to follow the instructions and create a test record in the service that you're using to trigger the workflow.
For the example in the screenshot, you would need to create a new row in your connected Google Sheet. After doing that, check back in on the workflow to view your record to test with.
Test With Your Data
Tests can be run on Live data, Saved data, or Advanced payloads.
Running a test on your workflow with live data allows you to see the results of your automation with real examples from your store or third-party app.
The Live data list can be found by clicking the Test submenu in an open trigger.
From there, you can choose recent records from your store's data to edit, or test with as-is. Clicking View Data next to any record allows you to view and edit the details of the information being tested.
Once a test is run with any of your records, you will see the record and information you tested with populate in the Saved data list of the Test submenu. This allows you to replay the same record multiple times, or slightly alter it with different information if you choose to edit the payload.
If you'd like to test with your own custom JSON or raw text payload you will want to use the Advanced testing space in the Test submenu.
Running a test will act as if the workflow is turned on, which means the impact of the workflow test will be live.
For example, if you have a workflow that sends an email to the customer, you may want to set up a test order under your email address or change the email recipient field to your address instead. This will ensure that emails are not sent to your customers during testing.
Test Per-step
Testing a single step can be done from the Test step button at the bottom of your opened action or trigger.
If you begin by testing a single step anywhere in your workflow, the test will process every step through (but not beyond) the step you ran a test for. After this initial test, the prior steps will not be re-tested if they have already been tested once.
The previously tested values of those steps will be preserved until they are re-tested.
For example, if the previous step retrieved a product, testing subsequent steps will have a cached version of the product that is used for future tests. If the product is updated in Shopify, then the product retrieve step will have to be tested again for the rest of the steps to have the updated data.
Test Your Entire Workflow
You can test your completed workflow via the Test workflow button at the bottom of the builder or in the trigger step with the Test submenu opened.
Once you begin the test, the builder will update to a view that shows the testing results on each step as they play out. By default, the test will stop if there is an error or if a Filter does not meet its conditions.
View Your Results
Once your test has been completed you can view the results in the steps themselves or within the workflow Activity.
If you open a step after it has been tested, you'll see the values associated with your test populate under the field representing the variable you're using.
You can also see a more detailed breakdown of your test by viewing it in the Activity tab of your workflow.
Connectors With Unique Testing Requirements
The following triggers and actions have unique processes for testing.
You will want to test your Webhook trigger by sending a notification from your third-party application.
To check the payload coming from your third-party application, click on the Activity tab of your workflow in the MESA dashboard. Then expand the recent run of your workflow, click the 3 vertical dots on the right side of the Webhook text, and then click Request Details.
You will need to click the link provided in the Live Data tab of the Test submenu in your Web Request trigger to test.
To test your Forms workflow, make sure that you enable your workflow. Locate the Form URL field and click on the external link icon to view your Form. Then, make a test submission.
You can test the Email trigger by sending an email to the custom MESA email address associated with your step in the Configure submenu while your workflow is enabled.
Additional Notes
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